I like a lot of names that are seen as dated. [name_m]How[/name_m] do you feel about:
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f]
[name_f]Winona[/name_f]
[name_f]Karen[/name_f]
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f]
[name_f]Heather[/name_f]
[name_f]Amanda[/name_f]
[name_f]Marie[/name_f]
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like any of these? Could you see them on a baby born in 2016, or are they hopelessly dated?
I like [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f]. I think [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], [name_f]Winona[/name_f] and [name_f]Marie[/name_f] could work as well.
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f] is still Top 10 material here in the UK, so I can definitely see that one working on a baby. [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] also still feels quite “current” here to me.
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] is a beautiful name and not at all dated in my eyes - I don’t think it’s ever been that popular here so to me it isn’t tied to a particular decade.
I can see [name_f]Heather[/name_f] coming back alongside other similar-sounding nature choices like [name_f]Clover[/name_f], [name_f]Aster[/name_f] and [name_f]Hazel[/name_f].
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] feels more old-fashioned/vintage than dated to me, along the lines of [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f], so I can see that one making a comeback. Same for [name_f]Marie[/name_f] - I don’t think [name_f]Marie[/name_f] feels particularly dated, just unusual now as a first, and I’d be very surprised if [name_f]Marie[/name_f] disappeared from usage.
[name_f]Karen[/name_f] and [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] are the only two I can’t see making a comeback any time soon. They’re such “mum names” to me that I just can’t see them working on a baby. But if historical patterns are anything to go by, they’ll be the [name_f]Violet[/name_f] and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] of the next generation!
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] does not seem dated at all to me, and I think it is a beautiful name.
[name_f]Marie[/name_f] is more of a classic name to me, timeless in a way that keeps it from being dated.
The other names do have a bit of a dated feel imo, but if you really love them or they feel like the right name to you I would not let that hold you back.
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] does not seem dated at all to me, and I think it is a beautiful name.
[name_f]Marie[/name_f] is more of a classic name to me, timeless in a way that keeps it from being dated.
The other names do have a bit of a dated feel imo, but if you really love them or they feel like the right name to you I would not let that hold you back.
I have hopes for [name_f]Winona[/name_f], [name_f]Marie[/name_f] and [name_f]Heather[/name_f]!
I don’t think [name_f]Marie[/name_f] is very dated, more of an under-appreciated classic.
[name_f]Heather[/name_f] is wonderful 
[name_f]Winona[/name_f], [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] and [name_f]Marie[/name_f]
I agree with @katymwolff; [name_f]Winona[/name_f] and [name_f]Marie[/name_f] don’t seem dated to me. They’re both beautiful names; I love [name_f]Winona[/name_f] for the nickname “[name_f]Winnie[/name_f],” and I love [name_f]Marie[/name_f] for its elegance and the fact that [name_f]Marie[/name_f] Curie is one of its namesakes.
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] - yeah, but it never ‘took off’ in the UK anyway so it isn’t stuck in any decade here.
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f] - yeah, but it’s a top name here and has been for YEARS.
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] - I don’t see why not? I wouldn’t say this name is stuck in a generation either.
[name_f]Karen[/name_f] - no, in my opinion. It’s a mum name here. There was a little girl called [name_f]Karen[/name_f] on Outnumbered and she wore it well though, so maybe.
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] - no, but it was my late nan’s name.
[name_f]Heather[/name_f] - yeah, but the only [name_f]Heather[/name_f] I know is 19 so I don’t think it’s stuck in the past.
[name_f]Amanda[/name_f] - no, see [name_f]Karen[/name_f].
[name_f]Marie[/name_f] - yeah.
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] & [name_f]Marie[/name_f] are! The rest are not quite ready.
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] is usable as to me, it was never popular enough to be considered with one era only. I could easily imagine meeting a baby [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f], a 10 y.o. [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f], or one of my good friends is a 20 yo. [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] “Lyss”. I could also MAYBE see [name_f]Heather[/name_f] as usable.
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] - gorgeous name. It fits right in with feminissima trend! Wouldn’t sound amiss next to [name_f]Juliette[/name_f], [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], and [name_f]Vivianna[/name_f] in the playground.
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f] - I think [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] is truly a beautiful name. My only problem with it is the “[name_u]Jessie[/name_u]” nickname, which to me is dated. If you used [name_f]Jessa[/name_f] as a nickname instead of [name_u]Jessie[/name_u], it would be more contemporary. But then, why not just name her [name_f]Jessa[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] in the first place? There’s also [name_f]Jessamine[/name_f].
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] - was never popular enough in any generation to be considered dated. Dated names are ones that are easily associated with hundreds of people. The only [name_f]Winona[/name_f] I know of is the celebrity. There’s also [name_f]Wynona[/name_f] [name_m]Judd[/name_m] but she’s not even the same
[name_f]Karen[/name_f] - it’s dated, but not too badly. I’ve only met two Karens and they’re both under 40. I think a little girl named [name_f]Karen[/name_f] would be a refreshing change. That said, the more contemporary [name_u]Kieran[/name_u] or [name_u]Kiernan[/name_u] is a lovely alternative.
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] - ready for a comeback. [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] would make a great little sister name to all the Charlottes, Daphnes, and Loreleis that have been born in the past few years.
[name_f]Heather[/name_f] - too pretty not to use, imo. I think it’s still being used, actually, by people who love the name.
[name_f]Amanda[/name_f] - exact same comment as [name_f]Heather[/name_f].
[name_f]Marie[/name_f] - I’m pretty sure it’s a classic name, so it can’t really be dated. I know [name_f]Maries[/name_f] of all ages, but none younger than.
From least dated to most dated, imo:
[name_f]Marie[/name_f]
[name_f]Winona[/name_f]
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f]
[name_f]Heather[/name_f]
[name_f]Amanda[/name_f]
[name_f]Alyssa[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f]
[name_f]Karen[/name_f]
I just wanted to provide a little input on [name_f]Karen[/name_f] since it seems like the “most dated” one. My daughter is named [name_f]Karin[/name_f] (which is technically pronounced differently, but she uses the [name_f]Karen[/name_f] pronunciation in the States to simplify things.) She’s 4 and definitely the only [name_f]Karin[/name_f] we know! It may be due to her overly outgoing personality, but she carries the name wonderfully. I’ve also noticed that C/K names seem to be super popular at the moment. In her class there are 7 girls whose name begins with C or K. On her soccer team, 4 of the 7 girls names started with a C or K. Although I don’t think [name_f]Karen[/name_f] is a trendy name, it definitely fits a trend which makes it seem like it could definitely work today.
[name_f]Winona[/name_f] is the only one in this list that doesn’t feel super dated to me. All of the others are Mom or Grandma names to me (my generation or my parents’ generation).
I think all of these names could be used on a baby today without an issue. Sure some of them were super popular during a specific time period, but seriously how cute would it be to meet a little [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] or [name_f]Heather[/name_f] running around these days? I think these names are kind of refreshing to hear on babies rather than names like [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] or [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] since most people don’t use these cause they consider them “dated.” Still beautiful and usable names in my opinion.
I wouldn’t say they are hopelessly dated, but names do tend to go in cycles and for some of them, at least in the US, they need more time. I would say [name_f]Winona[/name_f] and [name_f]Heather[/name_f] (although a little 70s I think) are fine.
The ones that definitely need more time: [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f], [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], and [name_f]Amanda[/name_f]
[name_u]Baby[/name_u] Boomer territory, but usable: [name_f]Karen[/name_f] (however, it does make me think of Mean Girls and Dane Cook’s skit), [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] (I think a nn like [name_f]Thea[/name_f]/[name_f]Thia[/name_f] would make it feel younger than [name_f]Cindy[/name_f]), [name_f]Marie[/name_f]
I don’t think any of them are unusable, just very unexpected on a baby. [name_f]Winona[/name_f], [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f], [name_f]Amanda[/name_f], and [name_f]Marie[/name_f] aren’t too tied to a particular generation in my mind. The others are definitely mom or grandma names.
I don’t think any of them are too dated to use. [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] and [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] are still within the top 500 names (in the US), and [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] was even as high as #93 in 2015! [name_f]Karen[/name_f], [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f], and [name_f]Marie[/name_f] just barely miss the top 500. The only two that are in the extreme lower half of the top 1000 are [name_f]Heather[/name_f] and [name_f]Winona[/name_f]. I wouldn’t let their overall popularity sway your opinion too much, but I just wanted to bring it up to show that most of them are still very much in use.
As for my personal feelings, I think of [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] and [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] as very 90’s-esque names, but I wouldn’t find to too weird if I met a child with that name. [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] I think fits a lot of the girl name trends that are popular right now, and I’ve never attached it to a specific decade anyway. Same goes for [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f]; I’ve never thought of it as a dated name. [name_f]Marie[/name_f] seems like a classic, timeless name to me.
The only one that strikes me as a middle age/mom name is [name_f]Karen[/name_f], but maybe because I’ve never met a young person with that name. [name_f]Winona[/name_f] I think gets attached to the 80’s because of [name_f]Winona[/name_f] [name_m]Ryder[/name_m], but it’s honestly such an uncommon name that I don’t think most people would see it as a dated name, even despite the association. As for [name_f]Heather[/name_f], I might be biased because it’s my name 
but I don’t think it’s super dated either. I’m 21 and I’ve met more than a handful of girls around my age with my name, and I have a younger cousin who is 3 turning 4 with the name [name_f]Heather[/name_f]. All in all, I don’t know if I’d say these names are ready to make a “come back” because I don’t think they’ve been out of style long enough for them to need a revival, but I certainly think they’re all still usable.